Hey! I also used to watch Rurouni Kenshin. I saw an article about it and says that some of the characters were based on real historical figures. Most of their names were changed. Kenshin Himura never existed. He is too ideal a person to exist.

Yeah he's not a real 'person' but a mixture of three great swordsman. Let's see, Lord Yamagata was real, so was Saitouh Hajime, and the Shinsengumi did exist and he was the commander of the Third Squad, the attack, the gatotsu...i don't think its real but the parralel sword did exist. and there's one other but i can't remember...i love the show!

yeah, Sanosuke Sagara was also a real person but his name was really Hagara not Sagara.

Anyway, i guess the cartoon shows a bit of how the Japanese warrior class were during the early period. They were trained to be honorable people, definitely deserving to be a class of their own. Unfortunately, as it is evident even in modern times, sometimes the experience of having killed hundreds and spilling the blood of many lives can affect the mentality and psychological make up of the person.

I've heard some of the samurai saying they missed the smell of blood and can't resist the urge to kill.